With NYC's bright new hopes (Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) openly worshipping at the altar of scratchy early-'80s UK punk-funk (PiL, Gang Of Four), it now seems doubly outrageous that Department S were denied the release of this like-minded debut at the time—"Whatever Happened To The Blues" alone is 20 years ahead of Radio 4. An even greater shame that singer Vaughan Toulouse (who died of AIDS in 1991) isn't around to savour the overdue recognition this should grant him.
DIRECTED BY Gaspar Noé
STARRING Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Albert Dupontel
Opened January 31, Cert 18, 95 mins
You probably heard about this shock-rocking rape-and-revenge drama from the stir it caused on the festival circuit. And for once, controversy and PC posturing are not being orchestrated into a publicity stunt. Irréversible is as visceral, graphic and wrenchingly full-on as advance word suggests.